​Egyptian delegation to visit UAE to exchange expertise on COP27 and coordinate on COP28: FM

Gamal Essam El-Din , Monday 5 Dec 2022

An Egyptian delegation comprising officials from several ministries will head to the UAE to exchange expertise with Emirati officials who participated in last month's UN conference on climate change COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh and to coordinate on COP28, to be held in Dubai in 2023, said Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

FM Sameh Shoukry
File Photo: FM Sameh Shoukry. Al-Ahram

 

Shoukry, who was the president of the COP27, was addressing members of the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee on Sunday.

"We gained much experience from this conference in terms of public relations, preparations, and negotiations," he added.

"COP27 was the biggest international conference in terms of participants, in addition to a record number of 33 presidents. Coordination among state ministries was effective to make this international gathering a success," said Shoukry.

The conference was also held amid the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, he added.

"As a result, the conference was a challenge to the Egyptian state and I think we made a big success in diplomatic, organisational, public relations, and logistical terms," said Shoukry, adding that "we will convey our experience to the UAE." 

Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad told MPs that the number of participants in COP27 hit a record 50,000, compared to 36,000 in COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021.

"While we got 30,000 hotel rooms in Sharm El-Sheikh to accommodate guests, this was an organisational problem in Glasgow," said Fouad, adding that "it was also very difficult to turn Sharm El-Sheikh into a green city, but due to the excellent coordination among cabinet ministries and under direct supervision from Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly we were able to achieve this objective a long time ahead of the conference."

"The size of offices and suites hosting COP27 guests reached 35,700 square metres, compared to 12,000 square metres in Glasgow," she said.

Fouad revealed that Egypt's financial needs for fighting climate change until 2023 are estimated at $20 billion.

"We were able to ink $15 billion worth of deals at COP27. The sum will be allocated to funding nine green projects over the next five years," said Fouad.

She stressed that COP27 shed light on the negative impact of climate change on Africa.

"COP27 was the voice of Africa and we were able to secure funding to African countries to contain climate change, including $150 million from the US and £200 million from the UK," said Fouad.

Short link: